DraftKings, your paradise of DFS nirvana, has done it again with a new contest called NBA Starting 5. You select one point guard, one shooting guard, one small forward, one power forward and one center. There is no salary cap. The only stipulation is that you must select players from at least two different teams.
For Thursday’s Starting 5 slate, there are six games.
DEN, GSW, MIN, ORL and SAC are playing the second leg of a back-to-back.
As for injuries, Anthony Davis, Jrue Holiday are questionable. Steven Adams and Cam Reddish are doubtful. Luka Doncic, Fred VanVleet, P.J. Washington, Caleb Martin are out. Keep track of all the pertinent injury updates at DK Live.
On DraftKings Sportsbook, the biggest favorite is DEN -9 over ORL. There are four games within 3 points: MIN -1 over HOU, SAC -2.5 over POR, LAC -3 over IND and SAC -2 over SAS. There are two games with a total of at least 230: SAC/POR (230.5) and SAS/SAC (235). There is one game with a total below 220: HOU/MIN (215.5).
Today is the NBA trade deadline, so there could be a ton of player activity, making this slate one that requires extreme vigilance on the news.
Set your DraftKings fantasy basketball lineups here: NBA Starting 5 $8K Zone [$2K to 1st] (Early).
Point Guard
James Harden is coming off a putrid game against the Lakers in which he shot 2-of-12 from the field and finished with 27.75 FPTS. He did dish out 9 assists and rack up 2 steals. I expect a nice bounce-back on Thursday against the Pacers with 40 to 50 FPTS as the expectation.
Shooting Guard
I hate the matchups for Anthony Edwards and Jamal Murray while Norman Powell and Jalen Green are scoring-dependent. I will go with Austin Reaves because I don’t think Luka Doncic plays in this one, so Reaves should continue garnering a high usage rate alongside LeBron James. Reaves doesn’t contribute much in defensive stats but he grabs rebounds and dishes out plenty of dimes. Over the last two games, he’s finished with 43 and 48.75 FPTS. If Luka plays, then I guess Powell.
Small Forward
When Franz Wagner returned to action, I expected the usage rate to be under 30% because that’s how it was when Wagner and Paolo Banchero played together to start the season. Instead, Wagner has maintained the high usage he sustained without Banchero, although it was only 25% in their most recent game. In the prior five games, it was at least 37% in four contests with a high of 43.6%. Denver has been 23rd in defensive rating over the last 10 games.
Power Forward
Over the last two games, LeBron James has put up 55 and 68.25 FPTS, as he and Austin Reaves have been the offensive catalysts. I expect that to continue, as I don’t think Luka Doncic plays on Thursday. James is a threat to triple-double and the floor is relatively high, as he’s failed to hit 40 FPTS only once since mid-December.
Center
Nikola Jokic is on the slate, so you play him. There have been a few games that he’s disappointed in, but it doesn’t happen often. He has the highest floor/ceiling combo in the game and is always in play to put up over 90 FPTS, something he’s done four times this season. No one else can match that.
What is the DraftKings NBA Starting 5 Game Style?
- The Fantasy Sports NBA Starting 5 Game Style is a type of contest in which participants draft lineups by selecting one point guard, one shooting guard, one small forward, one power forward and one center. NBA Starting 5 is scored the same way as classic NBA DFS contests.
Important Information:
- Fantasy Sports NBA Starting 5 contests require no salary cap balancing.
- NBA Starting 5 contests span multiple games, and Fantasy Sports participants must select athletes from at least two different teams.
- Participants will see all five positions on the draft screen and must pick one athlete per position.
